This apple cinnamon baked steel cut oatmeal recipe is a lovely make-ahead breakfast option for busy mornings. Studded with sweet apple chunks, raisins and cinnamon, these oats will satisfy your taste-buds and keep you feeling full all morning.
The cold weather has me on a warm breakfast kick and my favorite as of late has been baked oatmeal. After making this Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal Isaac requested a version without nuts so I started brainstorming. He loves raisins so I took that idea and ran with it.
The result was a baked oatmeal with apple chunks and plump raisins nestled throughout. Doesn’t it look pretty with all the apple bites and chia seeds on top?
The combo of oats, apples, raisins, a little maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon makes for a naturally sweet and delicious healthy oatmeal bake. This version is particularly nutritious because I used steel cut oats. They’re the least processed of all oats and have an awesome chewy texture.
Other healthy ingredients include chia seeds, coconut oil and almondmilk, which makes the recipe vegan and gluten-free!
If eating a healthy breakfast was one of your New Year’s resolutions this baked oatmeal is pretty much the perfect fit. You can make a batch over the weekend and you’ll be set with an easy breakfast for the week (or at least most of it).
Reheating the baked oatmeal is a breeze, either using the microwave or stove-top. Although I have to tell ya, I’ve found that the oats are really good eaten cold as well. I just add an extra splash of almond milk and eat them like overnight oats or muesli. Yum!
If you’re a baked apple lover you will adore this baked oatmeal. Trust me on this one. The apples get extra sweet, soft and are coated with cinnamon. It reminds me of apple pie, which is perfection because apple pie is my fav.
Isaac absolutely loved this version and thought the sweetness was perfect. If you’re trying to cut back on sugar or just prefer things mildly sweetened, you can easily reduce the maple syrup and raisins a bit. It won’t affect the end result, the oats will just be a little less sweet. Enjoy!
If you make this apple cinnamon baked steel cut oatmeal be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting us know how it turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and our readers!
This apple cinnamon baked steel cut oatmeal recipe is a lovely make-ahead breakfast option for busy mornings. Studded with sweet apple chunks, raisins and cinnamon, these oats will satisfy your taste-buds and keep you feeling full all morning.
Combine chia seeds with water to make a chia egg and let sit for a few minutes.
In a large mixing bowl combine oats, maple syrup, chia egg, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt. Stir well to combine. Add in almond milk, apple chunks and raisins. Stir everything together once more.
Place oatmeal mixture into a greased baking dish (an 8×8 square baking dish or something similar). Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until oatmeal is golden brown and the center is cooked through. Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy. Place any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. Reheat later and enjoy.
Notes
To make this recipe with old fashioned rolled oats, use 2 cups of rolled oats instead of 1 cup of steel cut oats and reduce the baking time to 35 – 40 minutes.
For a lower sugar version, reduce the amount of maple syrup and raisins or omit them completely.
Category:Breakfast
Method:Bake
Cuisine:American
Nutrition
Serving Size:1 cup
Calories:351
Sugar:29 g
Fat:12 g
Carbohydrates:56 g
Fiber:6 g
Protein:6 g
Keywords: baked steel cut oatmeal, apple cinnamon baked oatmeal
This oatmeal was a huge hit with my family of 6 (I doubled the recipe). I was expecting to have leftovers, but it all was eating so quickly. Thanks for this recipe, I am making it again for breakfast today! Think I’ll try out your blueberry oatmeal next.
* I am adding an extra apple in todays version as I felt like it could use a bit more.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Leslie! So glad this baked oatmeal was a hit with your family. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Wow! This is my first ever baked oatmeal and I feel like I’ve been missing out my whole life. The oatmeal was full of flavor and tastes more like dessert. The only modification I did was adding an extra apple. I can’t wait to try out other variations. Thanks for this amazing recipe!!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Kristen!! I’m so glad you decided to try my recipe and enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This oatmeal was DELISH! After reading some of the comments, I decided to make it the night before and set it in the fridge, then this morning I simply heated my oven and put it in. This caused it to really absorb all the flavours overnight and wow, it was amazing. In my fiancé’s words: ‘this is the best thing I’ve eaten this year’ – which is saying something because I do a LOT of cooking! Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait to try more of your oatmeal bakes. ❤️
Ahh wow!! That makes me so happy to hear, Rachel. I’m glad it turned out well for you after letting it sit in the fridge overnight. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers, so I really appreciate it. <3
I’ve made this recipe and it’s delicious . Will make it again. One thing, if not using dairy free milk can regular milk be used with the whole ingredients on the list?
Can you add milk substitutes to this and other recipes, please? My child has Dairy (milk protein) & peanut allergy. I’m nervous about using almond milk. I usually cook with coconut milk. Can I use Soy milk the same way? Thanks in advance. P.s. An article about cooking with different milk alternatives would be awesome too.
Hey Jennifer – I’ll make note of it! In most of my recipes where I say use almond milk, you can normally substitute it with another type of milk (coconut, soy, oat, hemp, etc.), so yes, you can definitely use soy milk in this recipe!
Yay!! I am so happy to hear that, Cindy. Glad that you love this recipe so much. And I so appreciate you coming back to leave a comment and star rating!!
There are very few Pinterest recipes that I’ve made more than once. This is one of them! So easy and delicious! I bake this, split it into 5 separate bowls and have “meal prepped” breakfast all week. Thank you for sharing!
Yay!! This makes me so happy reading, Courtney. 🙂 This recipe is one of my faves for meal-prepping. Thank you SO much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, it means the world to me. <3
Woo-hoo! That’s so awesome, Caroline. I’m so glad that you liked it enough to make it two weeks in a row. And thank you for coming back to leave a comment and star rating on the recipe. This feedback is super helpful and the star ratings help make my recipes visible to more people! <3
Hi Amber! Do you mean prep it the night before and then bake in the next morning? Or do you mean prep + bake it the night before and then eat it the next morning? Either way, it should work just fine. If you’re planning to bake it the night before, you’ll just want to portion out a serving and reheat the next morning — either in your microwave or toaster oven. I wouldn’t put the whole thing back in the oven to reheat just because it might dry out! Let me know if this makes sense.
Delicious! I used a real egg instead of the chia/water “egg” and have been adding some almond milk before heating it up in the mornings. This recipe is a great break from classic oatmeal, and the chewy texture and taste is amazing.
Hi Brogan! I am so happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed this recipe! The added almond mix when re-heating is a nice touch. Thanks for sharing and for taking the time to leave a comment (and star rating). It means the world to me!
This is the best oatmeal that I have ever eaten, and I am almost 72 years old, so I have tasted lots of oatmeal over the years. It tastes good enough to be dessert! It smelled so good with the cinnamon and apples when it was cooking. I used Ginger Gold apples which I bought from a nearby orchard yesterday. I substituted chopped walnuts for the raisins. I love all of your recipes that I have tried so far and I am now looking through for more of them to make. I am particularly interested in your tofu and tempeh recipes, since I am trying to eat less meat.
The chia seeds + 3 Tablespoons of water replace an egg in this recipe. You can sub the chia seed for flaxseed and make a flax egg OR simply leave the seeds out. It should still turn out just fine.
Could you cook this muffin style? If so, how long would I cook them? Trying to come up with a quick grab and go breakfast for hubby who leaves for work 3 hours before me!
I made this for the week and have been eating it every morning before work. It’s so good! I know this sounds weird, but I needed a little more protein in the morning. I wasn’t sure if this would be good but I added a scrambled egg and it turned out great. slightly savory with the sweet oatmeal and added protein was a huge win! Thanks for the perfect quick winter breakfast 🙂
A fabulous way to cook steel cut oats. I have been making this about every week/other week over the fall and into winter. I don’t have time in the mornings before work to cook them, but making this recipe allows for leftovers (if there are any because the bf eats nearly the whole pan!) which reheat great and maintains texture. I like the texture of the oatmeal in this bake vs slow cooker versions.
Hooray!! Thank you so much, Cindy. I’m so glad that you love it. PS – Would you mind leaving a star rating on the recipe too? The recipe ratings are super helpful for Google search and help other people find my recipes. 🙂
I made this last night, but I used an actual egg and omitted the raisins. I keep it in the oven for more like 80-90 minutes, and it turned out great! I reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds the next morning, and it was delicious!!!
Hi Rebecca! It should definitely work but you’ll likely need to cook it for less time… maybe around 30-40 minutes. I have a similar recipe for regular baked oatmeal that you could add apples to! It’s here (https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/maple-pecan-baked-oatmeal/) if you want to check it out.
Hi…just made this today. Used gluten free steel cut oats and cranberries instead of raisins and added 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Love it!!! This will be my favorite breakfast! Thank you for the great recipe!!!
CM how did it come out with the quick cooking oats? How long did you leave them in for? I just put mine in and just realized I’m just the quick cooking ones!!
I haven’t tried it with quick cooking steel cut oats. I’m sure it will work, but you’d need to cut back on the cook time for sure. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
This is one of my gotos for meal prep for breakfast. It’s delicious! I generally hate the consistency of Oatmeal, but this is the exception. I made it with unsweetened Silk Cashew milk today and it’s very good!
If using the ground flaxseed, would you still add the water? Also, could honey be equally substituted for the maple syrup or would you use less honey? Thanks!
Yes! I’d mix the ground flax with the water to create a “flax egg” just as suggested in the recipe with the chia seeds. And yes, honey for maple should be fine. And I’d use the same amount — about 1/4 cup!
My husband stumbled across this recipe while trying to figure out what to make one morning, and it’s become what he makes almost every Sunday morning. Since we’ve mostly stopped eating processed cereals, which were a sort of Sunday morning treat for our kids, we wanted something special yet easy for the Sunday morning rush before church. This fits the bill. The kids LOVE it and have never complained about not having cereal since inserting this into the rotation. We omit the raisins (though some of ours add them at the table) and reduce the syrup, and it still comes out great. In fact, we double it for our family of five every week and there aren’t leftovers! I just saw your maple pecan recipe and am looking forward to rtying that one now. Next step: teach the kids to make them. 😉
I don’t usually like oats but am trying different recipes to eat them for breakfast and this turned out delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe, I wrote in my personal book of favorite recipes!
Yes! You could use ground flaxseed if you have that or 1 egg, but I think the recipe will still turn out even if you simply omit the chia seeds and water.
I rarely send comments but this is absolutely delicious. I have actually eaten this as a snack portion in the afternoon – eating it cold. Extremely satisfying. I will bake again at Christmas when I have all my family here and serve hot/warm for breakfast.
I’ve been making variations on the maple pecan baked oatmeal since you posted that recipe, and it’s delicious, easy, tastes great hot OR cold. I’ve been wondering how to use steel cut oats in what ratio since I have plenty on hand from a local farm, and you’ve just made my day with this option!
Thanks Amanda. I usually skip making steel-cut oats because they take a while to cook on the stove-top. Baking them is perfect because once you have the full batch cooked you can reheat them quickly!
Hi Brittany. Just wondering what kind of apple you used and if you have any recommendations. I’m going to try the recipe, but replace the raisins with an equal amount of pecans (sort of a hybrid with your maple pecan oatmeal recipe).
Hi Jen. I used a Pink Lady, mainly just because they’re one of my favorites and it’s what I had on hand. I’d recommend using a sweet variety like Pink Lady, Fuji or something similar. Let me know how it turns out with the pecans instead of raisins!
This looks delicious! I will definitely be trying this out later next week. Also, that baking dish is so pretty – who makes it? Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks Lauren! Let me know how it turns out next week. The baking dish is the Bobby Flay brand. It was a gift, but I’m pretty sure it was from Kohl’s. 🙂
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This oatmeal was a huge hit with my family of 6 (I doubled the recipe). I was expecting to have leftovers, but it all was eating so quickly. Thanks for this recipe, I am making it again for breakfast today! Think I’ll try out your blueberry oatmeal next.
* I am adding an extra apple in todays version as I felt like it could use a bit more.
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Leslie! So glad this baked oatmeal was a hit with your family. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Wow! This is my first ever baked oatmeal and I feel like I’ve been missing out my whole life. The oatmeal was full of flavor and tastes more like dessert. The only modification I did was adding an extra apple. I can’t wait to try out other variations. Thanks for this amazing recipe!!
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Kristen!! I’m so glad you decided to try my recipe and enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This oatmeal was DELISH! After reading some of the comments, I decided to make it the night before and set it in the fridge, then this morning I simply heated my oven and put it in. This caused it to really absorb all the flavours overnight and wow, it was amazing. In my fiancé’s words: ‘this is the best thing I’ve eaten this year’ – which is saying something because I do a LOT of cooking! Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait to try more of your oatmeal bakes. ❤️
★★★★★
Ahh wow!! That makes me so happy to hear, Rachel. I’m glad it turned out well for you after letting it sit in the fridge overnight. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers, so I really appreciate it. <3
I’ve made this recipe and it’s delicious . Will make it again. One thing, if not using dairy free milk can regular milk be used with the whole ingredients on the list?
★★★★★
You can definitely use regular milk!
Can you add milk substitutes to this and other recipes, please? My child has Dairy (milk protein) & peanut allergy. I’m nervous about using almond milk. I usually cook with coconut milk. Can I use Soy milk the same way? Thanks in advance. P.s. An article about cooking with different milk alternatives would be awesome too.
Hey Jennifer – I’ll make note of it! In most of my recipes where I say use almond milk, you can normally substitute it with another type of milk (coconut, soy, oat, hemp, etc.), so yes, you can definitely use soy milk in this recipe!
I believe this may be my favorite oatmeal recipe.I added pecans along with the apples and raisins and it is delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
Yay!! I am so happy to hear that, Cindy. Glad that you love this recipe so much. And I so appreciate you coming back to leave a comment and star rating!!
There are very few Pinterest recipes that I’ve made more than once. This is one of them! So easy and delicious! I bake this, split it into 5 separate bowls and have “meal prepped” breakfast all week. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Yay!! This makes me so happy reading, Courtney. 🙂 This recipe is one of my faves for meal-prepping. Thank you SO much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, it means the world to me. <3
It’s perfect. Made it last week-making it again this week!
★★★★★
Woo-hoo! That’s so awesome, Caroline. I’m so glad that you liked it enough to make it two weeks in a row. And thank you for coming back to leave a comment and star rating on the recipe. This feedback is super helpful and the star ratings help make my recipes visible to more people! <3
Can I make this the night before and refrigerate overnight? I bought steel cut oats by accident and have been looking for a way to use them😊 Thanks!
Hi Amber! Do you mean prep it the night before and then bake in the next morning? Or do you mean prep + bake it the night before and then eat it the next morning? Either way, it should work just fine. If you’re planning to bake it the night before, you’ll just want to portion out a serving and reheat the next morning — either in your microwave or toaster oven. I wouldn’t put the whole thing back in the oven to reheat just because it might dry out! Let me know if this makes sense.
Delicious! I used a real egg instead of the chia/water “egg” and have been adding some almond milk before heating it up in the mornings. This recipe is a great break from classic oatmeal, and the chewy texture and taste is amazing.
★★★★★
Hi Brogan! I am so happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed this recipe! The added almond mix when re-heating is a nice touch. Thanks for sharing and for taking the time to leave a comment (and star rating). It means the world to me!
This is the best oatmeal that I have ever eaten, and I am almost 72 years old, so I have tasted lots of oatmeal over the years.
It tastes good enough to be dessert!
It smelled so good with the cinnamon and apples when it was cooking.
I used Ginger Gold apples which I bought from a nearby orchard yesterday.
I substituted chopped walnuts for the raisins.
I love all of your recipes that I have tried so far and I am now looking through for more of them to make. I am particularly interested in your tofu and tempeh recipes, since I am trying to eat less meat.
★★★★★
Do the chia seeds serve any purpose? I find them slimy and more than a little disgusting. Does leaving them out change the consistency?
The chia seeds + 3 Tablespoons of water replace an egg in this recipe. You can sub the chia seed for flaxseed and make a flax egg OR simply leave the seeds out. It should still turn out just fine.
Could you cook this muffin style? If so, how long would I cook them?
Trying to come up with a quick grab and go breakfast for hubby who leaves for work 3 hours before me!
I made this for the week and have been eating it every morning before work. It’s so good! I know this sounds weird, but I needed a little more protein in the morning. I wasn’t sure if this would be good but I added a scrambled egg and it turned out great. slightly savory with the sweet oatmeal and added protein was a huge win! Thanks for the perfect quick winter breakfast 🙂
★★★★★
A fabulous way to cook steel cut oats. I have been making this about every week/other week over the fall and into winter. I don’t have time in the mornings before work to cook them, but making this recipe allows for leftovers (if there are any because the bf eats nearly the whole pan!) which reheat great and maintains texture. I like the texture of the oatmeal in this bake vs slow cooker versions.
★★★★★
One of my new favorite oatmeal recipes!!
Hooray!! Thank you so much, Cindy. I’m so glad that you love it. PS – Would you mind leaving a star rating on the recipe too? The recipe ratings are super helpful for Google search and help other people find my recipes. 🙂
I made this last night, but I used an actual egg and omitted the raisins. I keep it in the oven for more like 80-90 minutes, and it turned out great! I reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds the next morning, and it was delicious!!!
★★★★★
Absolutly delicious, best breakfast ever! I skipped the raisins and used water instead of almond milk, and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Ahh! This makes me so happy. Glad you enjoyed it, Pauline!
Can you use regular oatmeal instead?
Hi Rebecca! It should definitely work but you’ll likely need to cook it for less time… maybe around 30-40 minutes. I have a similar recipe for regular baked oatmeal that you could add apples to! It’s here (https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/maple-pecan-baked-oatmeal/) if you want to check it out.
Hi…just made this today. Used gluten free steel cut oats and cranberries instead of raisins and added 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Love it!!! This will be my favorite breakfast!
Thank you for the great recipe!!!
Is it ok to use quick cook steel cut oats with this recipe?
CM how did it come out with the quick cooking oats? How long did you leave them in for? I just put mine in and just realized I’m just the quick cooking ones!!
Chrissy — how did it turn out and how long did it take for the oatmeal to bake through?
I haven’t tried it with quick cooking steel cut oats. I’m sure it will work, but you’d need to cut back on the cook time for sure. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
This is one of my gotos for meal prep for breakfast. It’s delicious! I generally hate the consistency of Oatmeal, but this is the exception. I made it with unsweetened Silk Cashew milk today and it’s very good!
This makes me so happy to hear, Nicole! Thanks for sharing.
If using the ground flaxseed, would you still add the water? Also, could honey be equally substituted for the maple syrup or would you use less honey? Thanks!
Yes! I’d mix the ground flax with the water to create a “flax egg” just as suggested in the recipe with the chia seeds. And yes, honey for maple should be fine. And I’d use the same amount — about 1/4 cup!
My husband stumbled across this recipe while trying to figure out what to make one morning, and it’s become what he makes almost every Sunday morning. Since we’ve mostly stopped eating processed cereals, which were a sort of Sunday morning treat for our kids, we wanted something special yet easy for the Sunday morning rush before church. This fits the bill. The kids LOVE it and have never complained about not having cereal since inserting this into the rotation. We omit the raisins (though some of ours add them at the table) and reduce the syrup, and it still comes out great. In fact, we double it for our family of five every week and there aren’t leftovers! I just saw your maple pecan recipe and am looking forward to rtying that one now. Next step: teach the kids to make them. 😉
I don’t usually like oats but am trying different recipes to eat them for breakfast and this turned out delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe, I wrote in my personal book of favorite recipes!
My daughter made this and it was fantastic. I was wondering if I could substitute whole milk for almond milk? Thanks
So glad that you liked it, Peggy. You can definitely use whole milk instead of the almond milk. I’m sure it will be extra creamy. 🙂
I’ll let you know how it comes out. Thanks
Could you do your slow cooker pumpkin pie oats with this method?
Hi Kirstin! I bet it would work just fine! Let me know if you try it!
Do you need to soak the oatmeal overnight? I’ve seen several other bake recipes that also say soak overnight.
You don’t need to soak the steel cut oats overnight!
Thank you!
Is there something that could be used instead is coconut oil? It’s so expensive here!
If you’re okay with dairy, you can use butter or another type of oil like olive oil or avocado oil. I hope you love the baked oatmeal. 🙂
This looks and sounds amazing!
Looks delish! You could easily omit the chia seeds right? I don’t have any on hand and want to make it! ????
Yes! You could use ground flaxseed if you have that or 1 egg, but I think the recipe will still turn out even if you simply omit the chia seeds and water.
I’ve made this many times without the chia seeds and it’s just fine.
Thanks!!! And thanks for the super quick response, I’ll let you know how it turns out! 🙂 Love steel cut oats!!
Of course! Please do let me know! 🙂
I rarely send comments but this is absolutely delicious. I have actually eaten this as a snack portion in the afternoon – eating it cold. Extremely satisfying. I will bake again at Christmas when I have all my family here and serve hot/warm for breakfast.
I’ve been making variations on the maple pecan baked oatmeal since you posted that recipe, and it’s delicious, easy, tastes great hot OR cold. I’ve been wondering how to use steel cut oats in what ratio since I have plenty on hand from a local farm, and you’ve just made my day with this option!
Love that this is naturally sweetened! apple and cinnamon are the best 🙂 Looks great!
Just made this for the week ahead. Not only does my apartment smell wonderful, but the dish tastes just as good. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re so welcome. Enjoy it this week! 🙂
I haven’t tried baked oatmeal with steel cut oats before. Great idea!
Thanks Amanda. I usually skip making steel-cut oats because they take a while to cook on the stove-top. Baking them is perfect because once you have the full batch cooked you can reheat them quickly!
Hi Brittany. Just wondering what kind of apple you used and if you have any recommendations. I’m going to try the recipe, but replace the raisins with an equal amount of pecans (sort of a hybrid with your maple pecan oatmeal recipe).
Hi Jen. I used a Pink Lady, mainly just because they’re one of my favorites and it’s what I had on hand. I’d recommend using a sweet variety like Pink Lady, Fuji or something similar. Let me know how it turns out with the pecans instead of raisins!
This looks delicious! I will definitely be trying this out later next week. Also, that baking dish is so pretty – who makes it? Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks Lauren! Let me know how it turns out next week. The baking dish is the Bobby Flay brand. It was a gift, but I’m pretty sure it was from Kohl’s. 🙂